U.S. Pat. No. 3,214,236 discloses hydrogenation as a conversion process in which manganese nodules are catalytically useful. This patent also discloses that the manganese nodule catalyst can be a source of manganese and other valuable metals after being spent in effecting the conversion process.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,509,041 discloses the use of manganese nodules, after pretreatment by base exchange to bond hydrogen ions thereto, in hydrocarbon conversion reactions, specifically cracking, hydrocracking, oxidation, olefin hydrogenation, and olefin isomerization.
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,923,634, a coal liquefaction operation may also be carried out in a wet state. Here the coal and the catalyst, desirably crushed, are mixed with a hydrogen rich solvent and the resulting wet mixture subjected to the action of hydrogen at a suitably high temperature. Hydrogen rich solvents which may be employed include hydrocarbonaceous solvents such as gas oil. These solvents may also include those obtained by partial hydrogenation and distillation of coal tar.
Heretofore solvents, e.g., coal tars, used in the liquefaction of coal required hydrogenation to enhance their hydrogen donor effectiveness and adequately solubilize coal. Hydrogenation of a solvent separately from the coal liquefaction stage is a costly way of regenerating H-donor solvents. Therefore, it is economically advantageous to have a single stage coal liquefaction process. Using such a process, coal liquefaction and solvent hydrogenation suitable to yield H-donor species could be carried out in the same reactor.
Considerable difficulties are encountered in single stage coal liquefaction process. One difficulty is the selection of a catalyst which will hydrogenate selective solvent components that make good H-donors. Another difficulty is that the selected catalyst must possess activity under conditions where rapid fouling by coal derived materials may be expected. Yet another difficulty is the selection of a catalyst which can resolve the above difficulties and be purchased at a low cost. These difficulties have been resolved in this single stage coal liquefaction process which utilizes manganese nodules as a catalyst.